Haitians consume over 100,000 metric tons of imported chicken each year

March 1, 2019 7:33 AM

Did you know? It takes about 48 days on average to raise a meat chicken to maturity; however, Haitians consume over 100,000 metric tons of imported chicken meat from the United States, Brazil and the European Union.

Read this from a report published by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service:

Poultry meat is one of the preferred meats of Haitian people, along with goat, pork and beef. However, chicken meat remains the most consumed meat as it is readily availability on the market and its cost is affordable for low-income households. The consumption of chicken meat is expected to reach 105,000 metric tons of Ready To Cook (RTC) in 2018, which represents an increase of 22 percent compared to 2017. This increase is primarily due to rising per capita consumption, which was 7.83 kilograms in 2017 and is forecast to be 9.45 kilograms in 2018. Haitians typically eat chicken as nuggets, fried and broiled chicken meat, or in barbecue. Purchases are made in public markets, supermarkets and street vendor selling points. Most people eat at home, but a few people eat at restaurants formal and informal.

While the same report said Haiti's poultry production has tippled in last five years, it is hard to digest the fact that chicken which takes about 48 days on average reach your dinner plate is being inported in such large quantities